SCANNING FOR HOPE
We’re going to keep this brief this evening… we’re at the dregs of the international break, so let’s just power through the pain and then start the NLD hype train tomorrow.
Martin Ødegaard is back in the UK after injuring himself on international duty. Everyone seems to be in the scan room, gathering detailed intel on his return dates… I’d suggest ignoring the noise until you hear directly from Arsenal on the outcome of his UK scan.
The injury looked nasty, but from what I’ve heard about that type of injury: it could be three days or three weeks. The main bit of hope I can give you is that he wasn’t in a protective boot. Sami Mokbel reports that the first scan was inconclusive, so we’ll see where we are on that. Mentally, I’d write him off for the weekend, but know this… Martin is tough as nails; he’ll be back as soon as humanly possible. This guy is no Mesut Özil.
I think Calafiori is far more likely to be in the mix. His issue doesn’t seem as serious, which opens up Arteta’s options a bit this weekend, including the possibility of playing three at the back.
Nwaneri looked in fine form during U19 duties this week. There’s a clamour to see him start against Spurs if Martin is out. I love the romance of the idea, but I just wonder if the game might be a bit too intense for a player so young. We have good options. Raheem Sterling and Saka could both be worked into the system with ease, and experience is probably the smarter choice in a game that won’t feature Declan.
The main issue for Arteta is he has a lot of tools at his disposal, but basically one day on the training ground to get a plan mixed and in the oven. That’ll be tight, but there’s no reason to think we can’t handle the problems we’re facing. We have a good experienced squad, we’re good away from home, and Arteta is the second best manager in the league right now. Oh… and Ange is in a bit of a mess right now.
Alright, this really was short. I’ll be back tomorrow with something longer, as well as a Thursday Therapy session.
Big love x
This is the Spurs Before the Whistle Members Pod if you like that kind of thing.